The Social Media at MIT blog officially launched on Feb. 28. The creation of Stephanie Hatch, MIT’s social media specialist (see Questions About Social Media or Email Marketing? MIT Specialist Has Answers), the blog reaches out to communicators across campus, including those just starting to use social media to engage their audiences.
The message
Hatch wants Social Media at MIT to be informative and instructive. Aiming for two posts a week, she plans to explore a range of content, from quick tips to commentary. Here’s the sort of line-up she envisions, along with examples:
- How-tos: effective use of hash tags (#);
- Technical help: the difference between a Facebook group and a Facebook page;
- Strategic help: the best platforms for reaching MIT graduate students;
- Events: announcements and follow-ups on social media seminars and webinars;
- Case studies: in-depth analysis of how universities are using social media;
- Fun: Infographics, memes (including a link to an unofficial MIT memes Facebook page).
Hatch will also focus on MIT as a whole and its use of social media. Her post on Twitter lists, for example, made a word cloud from the names of Twitter lists that include @MITnews.
The medium
Hatch chose WordPress as the platform for her blog because it offers an assortment of templates and widgets. She opted for a clean, straightforward design so that her blog can serve as an example for MIT communicators who are thinking of starting their own blogs.
Getting in touch
Hatch encourages readers of Social Media at MIT to comment on blog posts, especially to note what ideas have worked for them or how they’ve adapted them.
She appreciates that community members get their news in many ways. You can always go to the Social Media at MIT blog page to check for new posts, but you may prefer to follow it using your newsreader of choice (e.g., GoogleReader). Another option is to join the blog’s email list (send requests to hatch_s@mit.edu); subscribers will receive one email a week that features the most current posts.
